Question: The Catholic Church teaches
that in justification, God changes a person and makes him just and righteous.
Protestants, however, understand justification as God declaring the believer as
righteous. Your comments?
Answer: I am convinced that one reason for the
misunderstanding between Catholics and Protestants on justification is the
different definitions assigned to that crucial word -- justification. Catholics
mean one thing, Protestants mean something altogether different.
We can't assign an arbitrary meaning to a biblical term.
Human communication is possible because words have a definite meaning. Words are
not made of plasticine and we’re not free to shape them in any way we please.
Otherwise communication breaks down and comprehension is distorted.
The meaning of the word should be determined by its use in
Scripture. If we really desire to know what God is saying, we need to study the
meaning of biblical words as used in the Bible itself. To attribute the wrong
meaning to the scriptural words is a sure guarantee not only of misunderstanding
one another, but also to miss and distort God’s message.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church declares: “Justification
is not only the remission of sins, but also the sanctification and renewal of
the interior man.” Roman theology defines justification as making someone just
(paragraphs 1989,1992). In contrast to this, Protestants understand
justification as a judicial declaration. Thus, Catholics think of justification
as a moral transformation beginning at baptism and continuing until death,
whereas Protestants think of justification as a favorable legal judgment by God
about the believer, declaring him righteous.
Well then, what is the biblical use of the term
justification? Is it a judicial act declaring the person righteous, or is it an
action of making someone objectively righteous in himself? To answer this
question, one needs to study the use of the word justification, and related
words, in the Bible. Here, I cite a few passages.
-
If there is a dispute between men, and they come to
court, that the judges may judge them, and they justify the righteous and
condemn the wicked. (Deuteronomy 25:1).
-
He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the
just, both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD. (Proverbs 17:15).
-
Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God
who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and
furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also
makes intercession for us. (Romans 8:33,34).
It is helpful to note that ‘to justify’ is contrasted with
‘to condemn.’ Justification is the very opposite of condemnation. Now, to
condemn means to declare someone unjust and guilty; to justify must mean to
declare someone just and righteous.
The concept of “making just” simply doesn’t fit. If, for the
sake of argument we assume that justification has the Catholic meaning, why
should God abhor the person who justifies the wicked? Would it not be a
charitable thing to do, if the wicked is made righteous?
The judge’s role is to declare just the righteous and to
declare unjust the wicked. That is, to justify the former and condemn the
latter. The judge does not make the person unjust when he condemns him. He
simply declares him as such. Similarly, in justification the judge does not make
the person righteous. He simply declares him just and acquits him from any
accusation.